Charger

Batteries can get to be a very expensive proposition if you are buying normal throwaway units each time. Especially if whatever you use them in is something like a video game controller that gets lots of use. Rechargeable batteries have been around for decades as a cheaper alternative to throw away batteries, but normal rechargeable batteries have their own quirks.

How many "smart" keyrings and chargers have you come across lately? Three? Five? A dozen? If you've lost count, here's one more to add to your list. WonderCube is frighteningly true to its name because it is such a wonder to behold. This tiny cube that can fit on the palm of your hand has almost everything, and we mean everything, you'll need for a mobile phone accessory: charger, external storage, stand, or even a torch. All it's missing is the kitchen sink. Well, that and some location-based features.

There are quite a number of battery packs in the market, ranging in size, shape, capacity or even gimmick. But there some who are really trying to push the boundaries of that portable battery concept. Take for example kraftwerk, a fuel cell-fueled power pack that relies only on gas, freeing you from being tethered to walls for weeks. In fact, since it uses gas, kraftwerk itself doesn't need to be recharged like your conventional portable battery, completely freeing you from the electric grid.

This week one of the last Nokia-branded devices to be released by Microsoft is hitting shelves: the Nokia DT-903 Smart Wireless Charging Plate. This device might appear to be a standard Qi-compatible charging plate at first glance, but once you've got your phone sitting on top, the light-up intelligence of the device becomes clear. This device works with an included USB cable which can plug into its included wall socket or your PC for charging and data transfer - and it comes in bright green!

Now that most major auto manufacturers are producing electric cars, we can look to the next phase of the plan: infrastructure. Save for Tesla, we’ve not heard too much about charging stations implemented in a big way. Today, VW and BMW are announcing a joint venture with ChargePoint to bring a series of fast charging stations to the East and West Coasts of the United States. Their goal is to get roughly 100 fast chargers implemented between Boston and Washington DC, and from Portland, Oregon to San Diego.

A company called Zolt has rolled out a new laptop charger that it claims to be the world's smallest and lightest laptop charger. The new laptop charger was unveiled at CES 2015 this week and is called the Zolt Laptop Charger Plus. The key feature of the Zolt charger is that in addition to charging your laptop it has USB ports built in that allow it to charge multiple gadgets at the same time such as your laptop, smartphone, and tablet.

Back in the days before smartphones were common if you needed a way to keep your day organized you had two choices, a PDA or a day planner. Both the PDA and the day planner were killed off by modern smartphones with their ability to keep track of your day, access the web, and make phone calls. If you still have your old day planner lying around somewhere a new product called Solar Page will be shown off at CES this month you might be interested in.

There've been backpacks in the past that had batteries inside them. Batteries that charge your devices while you're walking about, talking with your best pals, waiting for your smartphone to come back to full energy. What the folks at AMPL hope to do is make that process smarter. This backpack lets you know how far your charging has gone, which devices need more time, and what you're going to want to do in the way of prioritizing each device as they ramp up.

Oddity gift shop Firebox says that there are two most borrowed items today: your pen and your phone charger. If so, wouldn't it be nice if you were never to be put in that situation that you'd need to borrow one or the other or, worse, both? That certainly seems to be the thinking behind the design of the Power Pen, a multi-talented instrument that acts as a pen, an emergency power reserve, and a digital writing instrument as well.

Zap&Go is a small charger bid as the first graphene supercapacitor charger designed for smartphones and tablets, as well as any similar devices like ebook readers and Bluetooth headphones. The device is designed to solve your charging woes, able to fully charge itself in five minutes, after which point it functions as a mobile device charger. This is in contrast to regular portable battery chargers, which often take hours to recharge.